Siem Reap & Angkor Wat, Cambodia

It was a long bus ride from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, but a nice change to see the countryside instead of flying from city to city.  Along the way, I stopped at Tonle Sap Lake — the largest lake in South Asia — to see the floating villages.  On the lake sit hundreds of buoyed houses, schools, and stores that comprise the Cambodian and Vietnamese fishing communities known as the “floating villages.”

After so many bustling cities, Siem Reap was a breath of fresh air.  Partially owing to the fact that it is entirely walkable and that no building is allowed to be over 5 stories high, it is a charming city that is filled with large markets and small boutiques, local eats and upscale restaurants.  Siem Reap is also the gateway to the magnificent Angkor Temples.  I spent nearly two full days temple-hopping and didn’t even come close to seeing them all.  My favorite was Ta Prohm, famous from Tomb Raider; it reminded me of the Jungle Book.   The temple had been deserted for about 100 years and the jungle has reclaimed the man-made complex as its own.